Chairman of the Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces imported into Russia a batch of firecrackers that contained “an explosive detonating substance.” According to her, the country needs to boycott firecrackers and refuse to buy them. Kommersant writes about this. It is reported that at a meeting of the Central Election Commission, Pamfilova called on Russians “not to buy, not to use, not to light” firecrackers.

In Moscow, doctors found a cockroach in the ear of a 13-year-old boy. The patient was admitted to the hospital at night due to severe ear pain. The Moscow Medicine telegram channel writes about this. It is reported that at night the boy's mother tried to treat the child's sore ear, but nothing helped. In the morning, the woman and her son sought medical help. During the examination, doctors found an insect in the boy’s ear, but were unable to remove it and sent the patient to the hospital.

By 2030, it is planned to build more than 40 metro and MCD stations in Moscow. This was stated by the capital's mayor Sergei Sobyanin, speaking at a meeting of the Moscow City Duma. According to him, in a few years three new metro lines will be launched in Moscow - Troitskaya, Rublevo-Arkhangelskaya and Biryulevskaya. In addition, Sobyanin claims that by 2030, 300 kilometers of roads will also be built in the capital.

US President-elect Donald Trump is “serious” about annexing Greenland and the Panama Canal to the US.

The Perovsky Court of Moscow sentenced cardiac surgeon Ivan Tishchenko to four years in a general regime colony. He was found guilty of financing extremist activities (Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code). This was reported in the telegram channel of the capital's courts.

The Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives issued grants as part of the first competition in 2025. In particular, Alina Kabaeva’s ex-coach Irina Viner, as well as the wife of Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, Tatyana Navka, received money for their projects. The Agency writes about this. Thus, the ex-wife of billionaire Alisher Usmanov and ex-coach of Vladimir Putin’s mother of two children Alina Kabaeva Irina Viner received 18.7 million rubles from the fund.

In August 2022, two Russians and one Ukrainian were detained in Albania for sneaking into the territory of a semi-abandoned military plant. Among them was blogger and photographer Svetlana Timofeeva, known on social networks as Lana Sator, who has been photographing empty buildings for more than 15 years. Albanian authorities suspected the tourists of being spies and sent them to prison. Nine months later, Lana Sator was released on her own recognizance.

Cambridge student Zara Lachlan, 21, rowed a boat halfway across the Atlantic Ocean - she wants to become the youngest woman to sail from Europe to South America. The BBC reports this. Zara has already sailed 3,300 of the 6,400 kilometers - the final point of her journey should be French Guiana. Along the way, she was injured, her oar broke, one day the boat capsized due to bad weather, and her communications equipment broke down.

A passenger plane flying from Baku to Grozny crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau, reports the Tengrinews portal. The Baza Telegram channel adds that there were 67 passengers and 5 crew members on board, among them about 60 people were Russian citizens. According to preliminary data, there are survivors among them, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan reports .

A group of armed men opened fire on people gathered for the opening of Haiti's largest public hospital. One journalist and one policeman were killed, seven more local media workers and two police officers were injured, the British The Guardian reported , citing the Haitian radio station Télé Métronome and Reuters.

An analysis by ClimatePartner commissioned by The Guardian found that Christmas celebrations lead to a multiple increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to increased travel and consumption of more food and alcohol. When people travel, buy gifts, use energy, decorate their homes, and consume food and drink, their activities produce 23 times more greenhouse gas emissions than on a typical day. “We are being deliberately sold an idea of ​​Christmas that is based on material consumption.

The average cost of congratulations from Father Frost and Snow Maiden this year increased by 21 percent and amounted to 3,129 rubles. RBC reports this with reference to a study of the T-Data analytical project from T-Bank (formerly Tinkoff Bank). The health of vacationers near the Black Sea is under threat. A fuel oil spill off the coast of Anapa can disrupt the tourist season and destroy the local ecosystem.

The Central Bank and Rosfinmonitoring, together with Russian banks, are developing a platform for monitoring suspicious financial transactions of individuals. Bogdan Shablya, head of the Financial Monitoring and Currency Control Service of the Central Bank, told RBC about this.

As a result of the crash of two Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait on December 15, more than three thousand tons of fuel oil spilled into the Black Sea - now tens of kilometers of Anapa beaches are covered with oil products. Because of them, Red List animals are dying, and the swimming season may be in jeopardy due to the risk of chemical poisoning.

The Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia filed a petition with the Tbilisi City Court to expel a Russian named Ivan, who was detained at protests against the suspension of Georgia’s European integration. The court granted this request, Mediazona reports , citing a court ruling. According to the publication, the decision was made on December 24.